Tips for Beer and Food Pairing

Beer tasting is great for summer.

Beer tasting is great for summer.

Published Jan 9, 2017

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As the days get longer and the sunshine’s brighter, you might be thinking about hosting a party and inviting all your friends and neighbours.

 

With so many complex flavours and extreme differences in beer, bready, caramel, hoppy, and citrusy flavours of beer, it pairs much better with food than some of the flavours you find in wine.

 

With beer, you taste robust flavours and most of us already know how to taste our food, it makes for a harmonious partnership of flavours. 

 

The two keys to pairing beer with food are either accentuating a food flavour or balancing it. Keeping in mind that every taster has a unique palate doesn't hurt either. It's all about finding harmonies to complement each other and staying away from any overpowering flavours.

 

It can be difficult to find the perfect match, but perfection should not be the goal here, creativity and enabling others to open their minds by tantalising their taste buds is your benchmark. If you take that approach then your tasters will undoubtedly enjoy their experience and discover something new. 

CASTLE LAGER

Best paired with: MEAT

·          Braai meats (e.g. grilled sirloin) – it is a South African tradition to drink Castle Lager at our typical braais. 

·          Mild curry – it acts as a “semi-fire blanket” against mild curries only.

HANSA PILSENER

Best paired with: LIGHT FLAVOURED FOODS / SEAFOOD

·          Lightly flaked herby white fish

·          Crisp green salads with cream dressing

·          Broccoli

·          Fried Camembert in phyllo pastry

CASTLE LITE

Best paired with: LIGHT FLAVOURED FOODS

·          Light seafood – fish should not have overly fishy/sea taste

·          Crisp and crunchy green salads – includes pasta salads

CARLING BLACK LABEL

Best paired with: BIG FOOD FLAVOURS

·          Strong curry – as well as the sambals of coconut, banana, tomato and onion

·          Pork and apple sauce

·          Pork belly with sweet/honey/fruit glaze

·          Caramelised onions

·          Yorkshire puddings – the sweet bread flavours

·          Sweet and sour chicken

CASTLE MILK STOUT

Best paired with: OYSTERS and PUDDINGS

·          Fresh oysters

·          Rich stews

·          Oxtail

·          Big flavoured roasts with intense sauce

·          Any chocolate or toffee puddings

FLYING FISH

Best paired with: SALADS and RAISIN BREADS

·          Fresh green salads

·          RaisIn breads, fruit loafs

It also worked really well prepared in sorbets as a palate cleanser between dishes.

 

NEWLAND’S SPRING PASSIONATE BLOND

Best paired with: DAIRY and SEAFOOD

·          Cheese platters

·          Mussels

 

NEWLAND’S SPRING JACOB’S PALE ALE

Best paired with: COMPLICATED FLAVOURS

·          Wild mushrooms

·          Cured ham

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